There are some simple rules you can follow to avoid getting into trouble. If you are ever in doubt, contact Tab HQ before publishing an article.

Photos

• You should always use your own photos – take them yourself, or use old ones from Facebook.

• You can use photos from Twitter and Instagram if you embed the tweet or photo, rather than saving it and uploading it.

• If you didn’t take the photo yourself, you need permission from the person who did. Send them a Facebook message or email. Club promoters and other societies are often very willing to help.

• You can’t just take people’s photos from Facebook without their permission – they belong to the person who took them.

• Don’t just use photos from Google images or news sites, they may be copyrighted.

Libel

• Don’t write anything which you can’t prove is true. Proof means photos or quotes from witnesses.

• If your article reflects badly on a person, group or company in any way, always contact them and give them an opportunity to reply. If they haven’t seen your message, you need to keep trying to get hold of them.

• If you are criticising or affecting the reputation of a person, group or company, run the article past Tab HQ before it is published.

Other

• If a story involves criminal proceedings (e.g. someone has been arrested or charged), contact Tab HQ to run the story past them.

• If you receive any kind of complaint, you should immediately forward it to Tab HQ.

@TheTab